A Little Bitterness is Good for the Soul
by Cherie Dennis
Summary: It had been a month since she disappeared in the middle of the night to go on tour with Chris Keller, but the mention of her still killed him. [Oneshot]


**A Little Bitterness is Good for the Soul  
**

Title: A Little Bitterness is Good for the Soul

Author: Cherie Dennis.

Summary: Haley James-Scott left her husband, Nathan Scott, to go on tour. Lucas Scott cheated on Brooke David with her best friend, Peyton Sawyer. A night together may cause some tension for the two broken-hearted beautiful people of Tree Hill High School.

Rating: T, for language and drinking.

Pairings: Brathan.

Disclaimer: I don't own OTH.

**Author's Note:**

This fic was written for fanfic100 for the prompt "drink." I actually debated on what prompt to use this one for, but finally settled on the one I did.

* * *

Brooke Davis sat at the island, dangerously close to falling off of her stool. She downed plenty of drinks already, and was working on another. The party was going on without her in the other room, the music too loud for her already pounding head.

She took hold of the red plastic cup, the one that matched her lipstick perfectly, and downed the rest of whatever alcohol happened to be in there. It tasted faintly like whiskey, but she couldn't be sure. Everything tasted the same these days.

"What are you doing?" a voice boomed from behind her, the questioning tone easily heard over the latest rap song.

She didn't even have to turn around to know who it was, but she did so anyways. Had he not taken hold of her arms, she would've fallen to the floor, but she showed no sign of appreciation.

"I'm having fun, Scott," she slurred, holding the cup up for evidence. "You look like you could use a drink."

Nathan shook his head at the girl and made his way to the other side of the island. He made himself a drink and then leaned against the countertop. "Where's Lucas?" he asked, his eyes watching the dancing teens in the next room.

Skillz knew how to throw one hell of a party.

"Probably with Peyton," Brooke said, the last word coming out as a hiss. She reached for the bottle again, but Nathan's hand grabbed hold of her wrist.

"I think you've had enough," he said, scooting the alcohol away from her, ignoring the pout on her lips.

"You know," she said as she stood, carefully, and made her way over to him. "You need to let loose. You don't have the ball and chain anymore, so why are you still playing around as Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes?"

Nathan's blue eyes seemed to darken at the mention of Haley. It had been a month since she disappeared in the middle of the night to go on tour with Chris Keller, but the mention of her still killed him. He brought the cup to his lips, downing the liquid inside with two large gulps.

"Now we're talkin'!" Brooke screeched as she held her cup in the air, toasting to Nathan's newfound bitterness.

These days, the two seemed to be more similar than they'd ever like to admit.

The brunette took hold of the bottle and dumped some of its contents into her cup, smiling happily at the sight. She turned back to Nathan, who was refilling his own cup.

"I always knew she hadn't really changed you," Brooke said, watching Nathan's back tense beneath the blue, silk shirt he wore.

"What do you mean?" he demanded.

"When you and Haley got together, you changed into someone else. It was like we'd all lost the asshole Scott we'd come to stand. But now, since she just up and left, I realize you're the same guy I've always known. Welcome to the Bitter Club," she said with an empty laugh.

Nathan, bottle and cup still in hand, spun slowly on his heel. "You know what, Brooke?" he hissed, his face red with anger. "Just leave me the hell alone, okay? God, it's no wonder Lucas cheated on you with Peyton. At least she's not a jealous, bitter bitch."

Before she had a chance to react, he walked off, tossing the bottle and the cup into the near-by trashcan. Brooke stood there, her eyes filled with tears and her mind racing to figure out what he had just said.

After a moment, she raised her cup to her lips, downing the straight alcohol quickly. It stung her throat, but she could barely feel it compared to the ache in her heart.

She turned back to the island, taking hold of a bottle of alcohol. With a glance between that and the cup, she tossed the cup aside and unscrewed the cap of the Gin.

"To you, Scott," she said as she raised the bottle in the air. "Welcome back."


End file.
